RR: Idyllwild Road Trip

[Keith B]

[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Idyllwild: 24hr course, Road ride and Thomas Mountain-Ramona trail.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Stats: Hurkey Creek 24hr course - 9miles/1150ft[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3] Thomas Mountain/Ramona 16.2miles/2500ft[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3] And about 8miles or more of roadie action[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Riders: Sauce-o-matic Sarah, Jose, Justin & Bionic Jeff (Steroid check pending)[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]After a magical mystery tour around the Hurkey Creek camp site (I wasn’t lost all, just getting my bearings ) we set off to try the 24hr course (race coming up soon.) There had to be at least a dozen trees down on the Keen Camp climb – no gentle warm ups when you have to carry the bike over huge tree trunks. The section after the meadow is the best part of the course and the damp sand made for great traction.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Tahoma]Had a quick break before the second ride and the smart people put on sun block after weather.com got it horribly wrong. My white arms burnt like a crisp and are currently glowing cherry red. Blue skies and sun all day. Sarah swapped bikes and headed out on the Blur which turned out to be a smart choice because we had a 6 or 7mile road ride down to the start of the [/FONT][FONT=Tahoma]Thomas[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma] [/FONT][FONT=Tahoma]Mountain[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma] ride. Despite Jose and Justin hanging on to my backpack whilst I mashed the big ring the singlespeeders soon had to crawl along – guys you need 26more gears :-P [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Tahoma]Thomas[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma] [/FONT][FONT=Tahoma]Mountain[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma] has a nice fireroad climb with great views but after a while the thinner air really began to make it self felt. My chest ached from having to take deep lung fulls of air – it might not have been so bad but the seemingly never ending fireroad climb got more and more intense. Climbing in inch thick snow at times, mud at other times, icy patches and all the while the air seemed to be getting thinner and the trail steeper. I told Justin his trail sucked but I was soooo wrong. [/FONT][/SIZE]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]The Ramona descent is 100% singletrack and OMG is it good. The first section had a lot of snow on it which made for hysterical bike control (Note to self not to put a front specific tyre on the back wheel ) The descent was more varied than anything I’d done before and never seemed to end. Just when I thought we were almost done I caught a glimpse through the bushes and not only were we not even half way down but the road was miles away. The singletrack just kept coming, rocks drop offs, 3inch gaps between large rocks to aim your tyre through, tight hairpins, banked corners, steep rocky drops, snow covered trail crunching away under your tyres so you’re never 100% sure if its going to be ice underneath.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Jeff’s nuclear powered Rigid-SS didn’t stay in sight for long on the technical sections. I’m also thinking Jeff may be possessed by Satan. Somehow he managed to get a puncture just after the very last turn of the Ramona descent – That bike must have taken the mother of all beatings over those rocks at the speed he came down. Boyz got skillz.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]The road ride back was mellow with the sun setting on the mountains on the other side of the valley – looked pretty spectacular. Headed back into Idyllwild as the sun set and tucked into some much deserved food and a few pitchers of Sierra . Damn we deserved that! Even some of the drive back was sweet. Sunroof open, heater turned up, music blasting out, stars up above, great view of the city lights way below the 243 as it snaked toward Banning, Full moon coming up over the other side of the mountains. When I came back to my apartment and it felt like I’d been away for a few days – The sure sign of an epic days riding, one of the best if not the best.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Casualties: One helmet, 3 tubes, Jose’s eternally bleeding knee, Sarah’s trail mix (5minute rule applied to eating it off the ground) [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Weirdest thing of the day: Break time and Jeff just goes and sits in the middle of a pile of snow. Must have been the thin air up there.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Big thanks to Justin for navigating the 2nd route. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]Pics are on the way..........[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Keith B]

Pics.........

[sauce]

Great times! This trip was totally worth it. I absolutely LOVED that single-track down. So nice. However, I don't think I'll be riding the geared, full-s bike much more. Too heavy and inefficient! :-) Kudos to the boys on rigids (Jeff, Jose and Justin) - you guys can really hammer down stuff on those! Thanks to Keith for motivating me when I felt SO FRICKING TIRED (altitude). You guys are all fast ... I get tired just watching you! :-) But it's a pleasure to ride (and try to keep up) with you all.

[singletrakk]

thanks to all for coming.It was a blast!!It's always great hittin new trail.This was definitely worth the drive.Thanks for the rr Keith.That snow just felt good on my rump after the climb.Thanks Sauce for drivin.Jose and me owe you for this one.Thanks Justin for the awesome second loop.Have wanted to do this trail for a while.Another trail checked off my list.

[Pain Freak]

I did that same ride up Thomas a while back and have wanted to do it again for a long time, but there is just so much stuff to ride out there that we never get around to that one. From the pics it now looks like the trailhead is a little easier to find now then when we did it. We spent a lot of time searching out the trail. I loved that descent it seemed to go on forever.The Ramona trail is one that doesn't get enough riding for such a great trail.

And Sarah, don't try to keep up with those monkeys. And everyone knows Justin isn't human.

[gurp13]

Dude, is Jose wearing spandex arm warmers? If he keeps racing it won't be long before he starts mixing in some weasel squeezers. Next thing you know he's on a road bike.

Methinks he doth protest too much.

Good looking trail. I hope I ride it soon.

[Keith B]

Jose's arm warmers rock!